Demand increases for long-haul destinations

RECENT data gathered by flight search and deals platform Cheapflights has shown that the poor Pound-to-Euro exchange rates are driving up the demand for long haul destinations amongst holidaymakers.

Pre-Brexit vote, three Eurozone countries – Spain, France and Greece – were in Cheapflights’ top-five most-searched-for destinations, ranking two, three and four respectively. Following the ‘flash crash’, 

• Spain remains second on the list, but demand for the destination has dropped by 22%. 
• France has dropped from third place to number five on the list, with searches down 28%
• Greece has fallen from number four to number seven, with demand dropping by 34%.

On the flip side. . . 

• Australia has moved up from sixth to fourth in Cheapflights’ long haul search rankings with searches up 28% 
• Searches for China are up a staggering 138% and the country is now number three on Cheapflights’ long haul search list (up from number eight pre-Brexit vote) 
• Searches for US destinations are up 12% overall versus pre-Referendum levels, despite the Pound falling to a three-decade low of just US$1.18 value. It remains Cheapflights users’ number one long haul search destination 
• Searches for Canada, at number six, are up 3%

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Holidaymakers rush to buy foreign currency as pound falters

AS the Leave camp pulls ahead in the EU Referendum polls, the pound is experiencing intense fluctuations, and holidaymakers are rushing to buy their summer holiday money. 

HiFX reports that the number of holidaymakers buying euros this week is up by 35 percent on the same time last week.

Chris Towner, chief economist at HiFX, said: ‘We know that in the event of a Brexit, we’re likely to see a significant weakening of the pound, with many warning that a Leave vote could trigger a 15 to 20 per cent fall in its value.

‘We also know that if the UK votes to stay, the pound might recover some – or all – of the losses it has made in recent months. However, as the outlook is gearing stronger towards a victory for the Leave camp, those preparing to buy their holiday money for the summer need to weigh up the potential risks. Concerned travellers should hedge their bets by either buying some or all of their holiday money now, or by pre-loading a pre-paid currency card.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Sterling's strength cuts prices for holidaying Brits

PRICES for British holidaymakers have fallen across Europe this summer, thanks largely to the strength of sterling, now at an eight-year high. 

Turkey and Bulgaria rather than eurozone resorts are offering the best value for travellers looking to cut their holiday spending. Post Office Travel Money barometer research reveals that a family meal with drinks costs under £29 in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria – down 11.5% on last summer.

Marmaris, Turkey, offers the best value for families with a selection of ten items, including pedalo rides, buckets and spades, water park visits and ice creams – being the cheapest of 14 European destinations surveyed at under £68. This compared with more than £135 in Nice.

The value available to UK holidaymakers in Turkey has been boosted by the pound being worth nearly 20% more than last summer and over 22% stronger than in January this year.  Families can expect to receive around £83 extra in Turkish lira on a foreign exchange transaction of £500 at the Post Office.

Sliema in Malta (£74.16) was the cheapest of 12 eurozone destinations surveyed, while the Post Office found that beach barometer items in Ibiza (£81.12) cost almost 8% less than in the Costa del Sol (£87.92), the lowest-priced of five Spanish destinations.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: Zodiac Seats France

Supermarket price falls and strong £ cuts self-catering holiday costs

THE power of the £ combined with a drop in prices in supermarkets and local mini-marts across much of Europe is making self-catering holidays a good bet this summer, according to the Post Office’s Self-Catering on a Shoestring report, which says that food and drink staples are down in all 10 resorts surveyed.
Key findings include:

· Falling food and drink prices in shops mean self-caterers can expect to pay less in all 10 resorts – with the biggest year-on-year fall of 56 percent in Majorca.

· Spain’s Costa Blanca emerges as this year’s ‘best buy’ tip for self-catering holidaymakers, with supermarket prices down almost 38 percent year-on-year.

· Entry of low cost supermarkets into the Algarve reduces prices by more than 26 percent.

· Shopping in a local mini-mart rather than a supermarket could cost as much as 61 percent more.


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: Shopping basket yellow by Paul Robinson - New Image. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons